A Different Avatar
by veggies
Summary: Thayet and Aang run away from their air nation homes. It follows the basic plot of the movie but there is a couple major differences. This is a ZukoOOCThayet its my first fic. RR please! flames are welcomed. I will be changing chap. 5, i promise to som
1. Chapter 1

Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation, had seen too many horrors for his years. When he lost the duel with his own father and was banished from his home, he was stripped of everything save for a loving uncle and a ship and crew under his command. After that fateful duel, Zuko had matured all too quickly. He became bitter and his uncle never again saw a smile across his face…

The avatar, a single man or woman who has the four elements under their control. Zuko _thought_ he was hunting the avatar. He had followed Aang day and night trying his best to capture him so that he might return home and regain his honor and key to the throne. But how could Zuko possibly have known then what even the young airbender did not…

Aang was the picture of spirited. He loved to play games and when those games became boring, he created more games. He was energetic, caring, and so loveable. Thayet watched over him. She was a scant four years older than Aang's twelve, but even then she could sense that Aang was…different. The blue arrows covered his body as they did on the traditional airbending monks. For that, Aang was treated older than his age. He was constantly pulled from his games to continue training with the other monks and always left these sessions with a glum face. It was obvious to Thayet that the dull, old geezers were suffocating Aang's lively personality. He needed to be out with people his age. He needed to be able to run around and make friends. Sure, he needed discipline, but he also needed freedom. They shouldn't take that away from him just because he was born a monk.

"Just because somebody is born different," Thayet mumbled to herself.

She always had an open heart for Aang, after all, they were in a similar boat. Thayet was born with a strange symbol permanently tattooed on her left ankle. Yet she didn't know then what this symbol meant. She did know that it meant extra training with the monks however. Any day now, Thayet would be proclaimed a master of her element. And it was then that the monks had decided it would be best to break the news to her. But they never got a chance…

"Aang," sighed Monk Roynale, "Your stance is off. Must I always tell you to keep your elbows up? What if you were caught in a duel? Do you think you would have any chance of surviving if you can't even remember your basic stance?"

"Sorry," Aang glumly replied. His tone was depressing enough, but it was his big grey eyes that truly won the monk over.

"Why don't we call it quits a bit earlier than usual, is that okay with you?"

Aang could barely contain his enthusiasm. He thanked the monk and ran outside before the old man could change his mind.

"Aang!" called Thayet. Aang skidded to a halt.

"Hey Thay," he used his common nickname for his friend and mentor. He slowed down as he neared her. They walked for about five minutes in silence till Aang cut in. "I think my brain just hatched an idea," he said it as if he knew it would be brilliant. "It's _such _a hot day today don't you think, Thay?"

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, uncertainty ringing clearly in her voice.

"Hows about we cool off in Poplars Lake?"

He knew it was against the rules, yet he had never been one to do as he was told. Thayet on the other hand…

"Aang, you know we can't do that. It's off the mountain! And Monk Gaiyo said any travels off the mountain---

"are strictly prohibited and will be punished accordingly," Aang finished the ancient speech he had heard millions of times. "So? We just won't get caught. Besides, your sixteen. Your responsible and smart and if there is any sign of trouble we can turn back right away. You have my word."

Thayet made the mistake of looking into those endless pools of grey that were Aang's eyes. She couldn't say no to such an adorable kid. So they were off…after they "borrowed" Appa, Thayet's flying bison.

It was dark when they tried to sneak back. The two kids had had a blast swimming in the lake and to Thayet's horror and dismay, they had completely lost track of time. She had to admit though, it really did beat the summer heat. They forgot about drying off. They were in a hurry to get back and simply jumped atop Appa and were off quickly drying in the speed at which they were traveling.

Finally the mountain came into view. They swooped low to where the hitching posts for the bison were. They jumped off the beast, using their airbending to lightly float to the ground and Thayet began to tether Appa.

The two kids nearly had a heart attack when a torch was light no more than five feet away, illuminating Monk Gaiyo and Roynale with the most vicious scowls on their faces not ten seconds later. Thayet had just finished tethering the bison when the monks each grabbed a wrist and quickly dragged them into the air temple to have a little talk.

The door closed with a loud creak and a slam. It was dark until the monks lit the lamps provided in the room. The kids figured on a boring speech but what they got was completely unexpected.

Gaiyo cut through the deep awkward silence. "Of all the foolish, stupid things anyone could possibly do, this one takes the cake!" he shouted. "And especially you two of all the people. Aang, you know you're a monk. We need you in the future and you cannot jeopardize yourself like that!" Aang looked at his feet in shame.

Roynale continued. "And you Thayet. ESPECIALLY YOU! You're the---

Gaiyo laid a heavy hand on the monk's shoulder. He had spoken too much. He never finished his sentence and simply said angrily through gritted teeth, "we are not taking any chances anymore. The two of you will be moving out of the children's quarters tomorrow to somewhere where we can keep an eye on you. And training will be doubled as a punishment. You WILL learn from your mistake. You are both dismissed."

Thayet was in a bad mood. Aang grew uncomfortable just walking next to her. Anger seemed to glow about her. He tried in vain to lighten the mood.

"Thay---

"Their keeping something from me!" she cut him off. "Their keeping something from me and if their not going to tell me.."

"Thay---

"Doesn't it bother you Aang?" she cut in again.

"Doesn't what bother me?" he asked curiously.

"They don't let you do anything normal. You never get to play your games. Your treated like a boring adult. You never had a real childhood." They had talked about this before.

"Well, yeah, I guess, but it doesn't really matter."

"Of course it matters, Aang! And I'm sick of it. I…I…I'm leaving!"

"Thay, listen to yourself. So what if the monks got angry with us. Your over-reacting," Aang tried desperately to talk her out of it. However he knew how stubborn his friend was. It was utterly useless even to try.

"Forget it Aang. I'm leaving. Come with me!"

"I can't. I have to finish my training and become a monk. I have a responsibility and you do too!" he would have loved to embark on an adventure, but he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Aang, you forget, I'm basically a master now. They're gonna make me one any day now. I'll help you complete your training. Consider it a little "break" from this place. We can always come back. Please Aang. Come with me!"


	2. Chapter 2

The prince looked out upon the vast miles and miles of sea before him. He sighed as he thought upon the last time he had seen anything but this. He yearned to step foot on solid ground rather than the unstable deck of his ship. But of course, he desired not any solid ground, but instead the red soil of his home land. Zuko wanted nothing more than to return to his homeland. He wished to see his father again. He wished he could again be waited upon night and day by servants. Most of all, he wished he could have a descent meal that consisted of something other than fish. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was always tuna, salmon, or, Uncle Iroh's favorite, trout. The cook tried his best to conceal the water creatures with breads, fancy spices, anything he could think of, but it always managed to taste like fish. Zuko sighed as he thought of this all.

However, he couldn't land. He was on a mission to capture the avatar. Sounds easy right? Well, the avatar hadn't been spotted for over a hundred years. Many doubted its existence, but Zuko had no choice but to believe that the avatar was out there. He just had to find him…He had to deliver him to his father in order to return home with honor and dignity and resume his place as the rightful heir to the throne. But why did it have to be so damn hard?

"He said yes!" she thought gleefully to herself. Aang had agreed to run away with her to get away from this horrid air temple place. It would be so much fun. Riding Appa during the day and sitting out at night just talking around a fire eating greens. **(A/N: Aang is vegetarian in the movie so why can't Thayet be too?)**

Thayet's mind kept playing back to that perfect vision. Who better to share it with than the boy that seemed to be a little brother to her? She would take good care of him. She would train him with all of the knowledge she knew. It would be wonderful. She couldn't think of one thing that could go wrong…

"_Meet me by Appa,"_ is what Aang had said. So where was he? Thayet paced back and forth. Had he already been caught? Aang wasn't _that_ stupid…was he? As if he could read her thoughts, Aang stepped out of the shadows coming into view of Thayet. She sighed in relief.

"Aang! What took you so long?"

He held up a bulging bag. "I had to stop at the kitchens for some traveling grub." Thayet rolled her eyes. But how could she stay mad? Tonight was going to be the last night of her old life. Tomorrow they would start over new. They would be two new people not bound by monks to their duties and cares. Things were going to be a little different from now on…

The storm hit quickly and with much force. The night was clear as ever when clouds from seemingly no where suddenly blew in and brought with it rain and lightning. It was too dangerous for Appa to fly in these conditions. They needed to land. But how could they when they were in the middle of nowhere? The water was their only choice.

Lighting struck fiercer than before. Thayet swerved Appa left and right, slowly guiding him down to the rushing waters below. Finally they made it, miraculously without having been injured. But now was not the time to count their blessings. The two airbenders had to deal with chaotic waters knocking Appa every which way. Aang yelled something to Thayet but the wind carried it far far away. Finally she dared to take a look behind her at how her little friend was faring. He wasn't there. Thayet screamed out his name but there was nobody around to hear it. It was risky, but Thayet could think of nothing more to do. She dove into the water.

The water hit her, a freezing blast against her body. She was panicking. It was then that she recollected what her training monk had drilled into her head. _When in doubt, clear your head and calm your body. When in doubt, clear your head and calm you body. When in doubt…_ She was hit by a wave and pulled underwater. She forced herself to close her eyes and let the beating of her heart rule all else in her head. The waters calmed a bit around her and she thought she had imagined a hand dart across in the water. Still keeping herself calm, she swam towards it at full speed and grabbed it. It was to her pure joy that that arm belonged to Aang, who limply floated by her only to be snapped back towards her due to the hold she had on him. The joy was killed instantly as she remembered where she was. She panicked again and the waves seemed to crash violently harder. She had to do something to keep them alive…she couldn't help but blame herself.

She swam up to what she thought was the surface and finally broke through. Sure enough, there was Appa moaning as another wave hit him. Her jaw dropped as she saw the wave…taller than three bisons lined up against each other. They were underwater again. Thayet floated under the sea in the meditating position. She closed her mind to everything but one thing. Ice. She visualized it in her head and it floated out through her finger tips, enveloping Appa, Aang, and herself in it…everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

"Katara, PLEASE, try to take it easy," Sokka pleaded with his stubborn sister.

"Shut up Sokka," she playfully teased. "I'm in a good mood today! It's a beautiful day to have some fun!"

"That's what I was afraid you'd say," Sokka mumbled, sick of walking miles and miles on an empty stomach. Katara looked at her brother and sighed.

"How about when we get to that giant ice berg over there, we can take a break for lunch…sound good?" It was about all that Sokka was going to get so he nodded, suddenly energized at the thought of a lunch break soon. About twenty minutes later, they arrived. Sokka quickly plopped down on the ground as Katara tossed him the bag of dried fruits and meats she had grabbed before they had set off. Like an animal, he dug into the bag madly and instantly began to stuff his face.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sokka asked with his mouth full of food. He had stopped eating for a split second, enough time to see Katara walking around the enormous block of snow before them.

"I just want to explore this iceberg for a bit… I'll be back soon." She eyed the block carefully. "How odd," she thought to herself. The big block had swirled designs all over it, as if it had been frozen, churned up, and refrozen. She put her gloved hand against it and wiped some of the snow off. She was surprised to find that it wasn't solid snow but rather solid ice covered in a small layer of snow. It was no ordinary ice berg. She brushed off a larger area and found a small crack that ran from the bottom of the ice to the very top. "I wonder," she thought to herself.

She ran up to Sokka and snatched his war axe that he proudly carried with him no matter where they went.

"Hey, what do you think your doing?" he asked curiously with a hint of annoyance.

"Keep stuffing your face, brother. I just want to see something." She ran back to the block of ice and began hacking at the crack making it deeper. She was right in her hunch that the crack would prove to be a weak spot in the ice. She took a step back to look at her work. She had made a great gash in the solid berg but it just wasn't enough. She stretched her arms out a bit to warm them up, took another step forward and swung the axe as hard as she could into the gash.

The axe hit dead on, and shattered into hundreds of tiny fragments. Sokka heard this and ran up, opening his mouth to say some angry words to his sister. She had a lot of nerve breaking his prized axe. As words were about to escape his mouth, she covered it with her glove. Sokka's anger was muffled in it, only making him furious. Sokka quickly quieted when a small rumble began in front of them.

"Katara what did you do?" he peeled her hand off of his face. She never answered for right then the crack began to grow. It sprouted smaller cracks like branches of a tree and soon enveloped the entire ice ball.

"DUCK!" Sokka violently knocked Katara to the ground and went down on top of her in a feeble attempt to protect his sister. Instantly after, there was a loud exploding noise as the ice shattered into millions of pieces, a grander scale than what had happened to the axe. They were showered and peppered with tiny pieces of ice that would have cut into their skin if they hadn't been wearing heavy clothes to protect themselves from the cold weather. It went quiet and the two lay there, not moving, for two minutes. Finally Sokka got up and helped to pull his sister up.

"You okay Kat?" he asked, using his childhood nickname for her.

"I think so. Yeah," she quietly answered back, obviously shaken.

She was soon snapped out of it as Sokka grabbed her shoulders and yelled angrily at her, "Well in that case, why the hell did you do that. You could have killed us or really hurt us. That is the stupidest thing by far that you have ever done!" He wanted to continue, but as he looked Katara in the eye, he realized she wasn't even listening. She was staring at something behind him. Exasperated, he looked behind him to find two people, a girl and a boy, and a hairy monster all soaked to the bone with ice cold water and all unconscious.

Thayet awoke to the sound of sweet humming and the rustling of someone busily cleaning up. She sat up in her comfy, warm bed to find a plump old woman cheerfully dusting right next to her.

"Uhhh, hello there?" The woman jumped at her voice and turned to find her patient awake. She smiled brightly.

"Good morning…Avatar."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to my first three reviewers...and for the people that take the time to read my story. I know that i have made mistakes and i need people to tell me what they are before i pull my hair out! Review me! thanks.

"Well, that was a total waste of my time," Zuko thought to himself. He had just visited the water tribe called Saevo, searching for the avatar. He tried using threats and bribes, but nothing worked. Nobody had seen the avatar in one hundred years. "Could it be that my search is hopeless?"

The prince's thoughts were interrupted by one of his crew. "Sir, we are running dangerously low on supplies, we _must_ restock as soon as is possible."

Zuko cringed in annoyance at the thought of the man telling him what to do, but as much as he hated to admit it, he was right. "Fine," he growled. "We will dock at the next village." The man bowed and left…

"_WHAT DID YOU CALL_---" Thayet was cut off as her friend Aang walked in the door.

"Thay, you're awake!" he ran up onto the bed and gave her a huge hug. She momentarily forgot the situation while she worried about getting enough air.

"Aang," she wheezed. He blushed and got off the bed.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"How are you feeling? And what happened?" Thayet asked, concerned for her friend.

"I'm fine. As to what happened, I don't remember much. I remember we were in the water and I fell off of Appa. Then I remember seeing you dive into the waves and everything went black. When I next woke up I was in a comfy bed here in this village."

"And where are we again?"

"This is the water village of Iraynu," the old woman finally spoke again. Thayet's head snapped in the direction of the woman as she remembered how she had been greeted when she woke up.

"Excuse me miss…" The woman took the hint. "My name is Yoru, chief elder of this village."

Thayet continued. "Yoru, thank you for saving my life," she spoke gravely now. "But I can't help but wonder why this morning---"

"Ahh, yes. You wish to know why I called you the Avatar." The woman began to explain everything. Thayet gasped when she found out that it had been a hundred years since any avatar had been spotted. It was quickly followed by a shocked silence as she learned more and more about the war currently occurring. Yet she wasn't sure she believed she was the avatar.

Yoru sighed as she got to the proof. This girl was stubborn and would not take anything into consideration without actual proof. "The last avatar was an airbender. Where do you originate?"

"The air nation," Thayet reluctantly responded. The woman smiled at her as if she had won. Thayet protested. "That proves absolutely nothing. Aang is from the air nation as well!"

"Well then, how do you explain the markings on your ankle?"

"Those things? I never did know what they could be exactly. I have had them all my life," she responded quietly, finally starting to believe. Everything came together right then. The markings, the monks' treatment of her, and especially how she was able to keep herself and Aang alive for one hundred years. A thought jumped into her mind. She scrambled out of bed as she remembered Appa. "My bison!"

"Your bison is safe. We have been feeding it and caring for him. Why don't you go see for yourself? It would be nice for you to get outside, I'm sure."

Thayet shocked herself by walking over to Yoru and hugging her. "You saved the life of my friend, my animal, and myself. I am forever in debt to you. If there is anything I can do, please tell me."

Yoru hugged Thayet back. "My dear, simply seeing the avatar is back to restore peace is enough." It was quiet for a moment before the elder spoke again. "There are clothes in the drawers there for you to wear. It's snowy outside, so dress warmly." Thayet thanked the woman as she walked out the door shutting it behind her.

Zuko had no idea that the next village would be so far away. They had been sailing for two days now with no sign of any new civilization. The prince checked his map again. He thought that he had possibly taken a wrong turn or something, but the map showed that the next civilization would be about a day and a half more of sailing. He sighed. His crew was hungry. They had eaten the last of their food this morning. He needed to restock desperately. He looked out at the horizon as he spotted black dots against the white snow. That was where they were headed. Finally a civilization had been seen.

Thayet walked outside of the small hut she was in to find Aang playing with the small kids. Along with them all were two teenagers, one boy and one girl. Both were closer to her age than anyone else. Aang spotted Thayet and waved heartily to her. The teens saw this and turned around.

"You can stop drooling now, brother," Katara said as Thayet approached them. It was plain to see that she was beautiful. For the cold weather, Thay wore barely anything. She wore pants that showed off her fit body and knee-high boots that revealed small feet. Her upper body was covered by a long sleeve shirt that hugged her to reveal well toned arms and a loose short-sleeved blouse hung over that. She wore nothing more. No gloves, no hat, nothing. But what really struck everyone who saw her was her beautiful face. She had full red lips and a cute nose. Her eyes were perhaps her best feature. They were an electric green that dazzled all who looked into them. Her hair was honey colored and hung loosely down to the middle of her back.

The teen stuck her hand out and introduced herself as Katara and her brother as Sokka. "We already know who you are…avatar. It is an honor to meet you," Katara spoke.

Thayet blushed crimson. "Please, just Thayet, or Thay. I'm nobody special, I…" she stuttered, unable to think of what to say. Katara held her hand up, smiling warmly. "Don't worry, we understand. Why don't we show you around our village?"

Katara and Thayet quickly became close friends, by the end of her first day at the village, Thayet had shared secrets, jokes, and much more with her new friend. Katara escorted Thayet back to her hut when Thayet forgot where it was. Katara hugged Thayet unexpectedly saying how wonderful it was to finally have a friend, especially a girl that was her age. Thayet felt so happy then as she realized that she hadn't had a friend her age at the air temple either. It was then she realized how happy _she_ was too.

Thayet woke up in the morning to yells and shouts of the village people. She dressed quickly in a similar fashion to what she had worn yesterday and ran outside. She was shocked to find a massive black ship bank in the snow. Yoru spotted her and ran up. "Avatar, you must hide amongst us. The fire nation is here. If they find out who you are, who knows what they will do to you in order to win this war!" Just then, a giant ramp was let down from the top of the ship and Prince Zuko walked down, followed by his dear uncle, Iroh, and then the crew. The village gathered to see the spectacle.

The prince eyed the crowd, looking for an ancient man over one hundred years of age who might be the avatar. His eyes dwindled on Aang who had covered his bald, tattooed head with a hood. Zuko finally spoke. "I wish to speak to your chief elder!"

Yoru boldly stepped up in front of Zuko. The prince glared at her and continued. "If you know anything of the avatar, you will tell me, _now_ and spare your village." Yoru glared back. "There is nothing to see here," she spat at him. The prince continued with his usual routine whenever he arrived at a new place. "Search the village. Anything found must be reported back directly to me!"

The crew was off. Zuko kept the old woman at his side. He continued to talk to her. My ship needs restocking. The woman glared at him and mumbled something under her breath that resembled "thief". Zuko must have caught it because he grew flustered, blushed, and growled, "I wasn't planning on _stealing _it. We will pay for it. He handed the woman 10 gold coins and Yoru nodded to the two men that had pushed their way to the front of the crowd. They jogged to a nearby hut and returned with an enormous bag of fish, some fresh, some dried.

One of Zuko's men took it from the men and dragged it onto the ship. It was hard work and took the poor guy a couple of minutes. Yoru pocketed the money and took a step back from Zuko. It was just then that a voice cut through the sudden silence. "Your highness, your highness! There is an enormous bison being stored in the far hut. He has the markings of the air nation.

The prince stopped breathing for a second. Inside his heart leapt with joy. Finally he could return home honorably for good. He had to get the avatar first. He looked at the elder a devilish smirk playing across his face. "Nothing to see?" The smirk was wiped off, leaving a blank face which was just as scary. "Where is the avatar, he spoke evenly and loud enough for the entire village to hear." Yoru didn't say a word. Zuko's face twitched in rage. They had a lot of nerve. The prince shot a fireball in front of the crowd scaring them back. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but they didn't know that. "Next time I won't miss," he growled, a second fireball forming in his hands.

Thayet stepped in front of the crowd. "I'm right here," she spoke as evenly as he did. Both prince and avatar gained the full effect of each other right then and there. She realized that the smirk he wore made him ugly, but that he actually was rather dashing. He had amazing gold eyes and the blackest hair tied back in a ponytail. The rest of his head was bald. He had a strong chin and an awesome body. (**A/N: okay, basically what I am saying is that he is HOT. Thank you**) He looked at her and noticed her features too. He went directly to her eyes. There was a silence as they looked each other over.

"So, what do you want?" Thayet continued in that smooth voice. Zuko seemed to snap back to the present.

He shot a stream of fire at her.


	5. Chapter 5

Thayet dodged the fire and turned to watch it stream by her, melting the snow for several feet. Her eyes fell upon a small child trembling as his mother held him. "I have to lure him away. I can't let him do this to these people," she thought to her self. She began to slowly walk in a circle, away from the villagers and towards Zuko's ship. He shot another fireball that she easily dodged, not noticing her movements.

He had a curious look in his eye and yelled in annoyance, "you can't be the avatar. You can't be older than I am and the avatar is said to be over a hundred years old." She decided to use his disbelief to the best of her advantage. She had the perfect plan to save the villagers.

"I don't have to be the avatar to beat you," she taunted. Uncle Iroh chuckled, knowing what that would do to his nephew. Within the crowd, Sokka laughed at the joke while Katara nervously chewed her nails, hoping only for the best for her new friend.

Thayet's plan worked. Zuko began furiously hurling fire at her that she ducked and dodged, being careful not to use her airbending. She wasn't about to let him know she truly was the avatar, at least not until she was far away from the village she was attempting to save. For that matter, she wasn't even going to fight. She simply ducked and dodged, waiting for the perfect moment.

An agonizing wail escaped from a small child, a steaming hole burned in the snow in front of her. Thay couldn't take it anymore. The last ball that Zuko shot at her she let knick her arm and feigned being knocked over. She underestimated his power. Her arm was bleeding fiercely, not what she intended. However, her training told her how to meditate and block out the pain. She lay on the ground, waiting for what she predicted would happen next.

Everything worked out perfectly, except for her now completely drenched arm. Zuko went and kneeled by her. He glared at her with triumph in his eyes. He believed he had won.

"You dare to challenge the prince of the Fire Nation? You shall pay for your insolence," he growled. He stood up. "Guards!" Three men jogged up and bowed their heads to the prince. Zuko turned back to Thayet. "I'm a fair man. I think I'll give you a choice. Tell me where the avatar is and I will consider letting you free, or I burn this village down in looking for him."

She smirked inwardly at the 'him'. "I already told you," she replied evenly, "I'm the avatar." Zuko's eyebrow visibly twitched in annoyance. He said to the guards without looking at them, "we don't have time to search the village. We will take her instead. Lock her up gentlemen. We set sail now." The men scrambled to do his bidding. They produced ropes and bound her arms behind her back.

"Please," Thayet spoke up innocently, "at least allow me my staff." She nodded in its direction. Zuko smirked at her as he walked up to get it. They walked onto the ship and the doors were closed but not before a faint, "don't worry Thay, we'll help you," was issued from Katara's mouth. Only Thayet heard it.

Thayet was led to an empty cabin and shoved inside. The door was locked behind her. She took a moment to look inside. There was a plain bed with generous blankets. A single chest of drawers stood in the corner and a tiny window showed Thayet the quickly fading village of Iraynu. She sighed as she plopped on the bed. Her thoughts quickly went to her arm as a bullet of pain raced through it. Her entire sleeve was bloodied and the pain was too horrible to block out anymore. She leaned down and pulled a dagger out of her boot with ease even though her hands were tied. She began to saw at the ropes. Once that was done, she threw the ropes in a corner of the room and got to work on her arm. She lifted the dagger again and cut off her entire sleeve considering that being soaking in blood made it useless anyway. She got a close look at the gash and saw just how deep it really was. She sighed as the pain overtook her, causing her to grit her teeth. She had no resources. She looked around the room and noticed a lit candle sitting atop the drawers. She grimaced knowing what it was she had to do.

A loud shout from the room followed by the continuous recitations of many colorful words caused the guards to alert the prince. He walked quickly though the many halls of his ship followed by the one guard trying to keep up. He arrived at the door greeted with a loud "SHIT!". He pushed open the door and saw his prisoner sitting Indian style on the ground, a candle in front of her and a red hot dagger pressed against her bloody arm as she panted heavily. She looked up at him, breaking her concentration. He watched wide eyed with a hint of concern as she gasped, dropping the dagger with a loud clank and falling backwards.

Aang cried. He cried and cried for what seemed like hours. Finally he was interrupted by Sokka and Katara who burst into his hut. He looked up at them with sad, blood shot eyes. "Thayet," he whimpered pathetically. Katara helped him to stand up and threw a coat on him. She helped him outside stopping only after he asked what was going on.

"We're going to save Thay," she stated simply. He stopped crying, a bit relieved that he wouldn't be going after her alone. It was quickly replaced by concern. "You can't go! You'll be hurt, or worse, killed!" he blurted. "She risked her life for our village. If not for our friendship, we must do it for the rest of the world. We all need her now to end the war and getting killed right after returning on a fire nation ship is not going to do any good to any of us." Aang was quiet after that. Appa had his saddle on and was contentedly munching on grains as the three children walked in. The bison moaned, knowing that his rest was about to end. Sokka tossed three big bags on the animals back that Aang had not noticed before. "Clothes, food, and supplies," he explained. After everything was packed on Appa's back, Katara and Sokka worked together to open the huge, heavy doors that sealed shut the large stable. Finally it was open and Appa lazily walked out. He stood waiting for his passengers to hop on.

Aang hopped on and Katara was about to follow when Yoru walked out from behind the hut. The two kids felt ashamed at having almost left without saying goodbye. For all they knew, the elder would not let them go at all. She surprised them all, giving them all hugs and a sack of the ten gold coins Zuko had paid up earlier. Good luck, spirits' speed, and stay safe my young friends. The siblings somehow managed to climb the giant monster and were off, waving at Yoru until neither could see the other.

Thayet's eyes fluttered open as she realized that someone was touching her arm. She shot up and instantly regretted it. She moaned as black spots filled her vision. She shook her head clear of it and looked upon a short and elderly man who was binding her injured arm. He realized she was awake and talked as he worked. "My name is Iroh. It was very smart of you to burn out the infection in your arm. However what was not smart was letting Zuko win that fight.

Thayet was lost. The man seemed kind enough, but that last remark knocked her head over heels. "What are you talking about? He beat me and now I am a prisoner," she defended herself ashamed at having to lie.

The man smiled at her with kind eyes, warming her heart. She had no reason to trust this man and yet she knew she could. "I…he…and you…How did you know?" she stammered.

Before she could stop him he pulled back the blankets revealing bare feet. He carefully pulled back the cloth of her pants to reveal the ankle markings. He winked at her. She stared back at the old man, instantly liking him. They were interrupted by loud stomping and the door to her room swinging open. Zuko stood there, his face still showing a tiny trace of concern as he looked upon the girl. It turned to annoyance as she stared plainly back at him. Those green eyes bore into him like nothing ever did. He had to look away and instead faced Iroh. "Well, Uncle?" he said as if expecting something.

Thayet couldn't hold her tounge. "Uncle? You two are _related_?" she slapped her good hand over her mouth realizing what she had said. Iroh chuckled and simply said to Zuko, "she will be fine nephew. She needs to eat something though as I fear she hasn't eaten in a few days at least."

She uncovered her mouth as curiosity got the better of her. "How long have I been out?"

Zuko replied, "four days".

"Shit!" she scrambled out of bed. Finally the reality hit her that she was a prisoner on a fire nation ship. "Where are we?"

"In the middle of the ocean. There is nowhere you can go," Zuko sneered at her. He had seemed nice enough at first but after realizing this, he tried to cover it up with nastiness. "So don't try to escape." With that he wheeled around and walked out the door, closing it behind him. She turned back to Iroh who tried to explain. "He is really a good man. Just has a bad temper and a terribly high ego. She brushed the situation off. "So what's for lunch?"

Aang, Sokka, and Katara had been traveling for days with no sign of the ship. They were beginning to lose hope when Aang spotted a miniscule dot on the horizon. "There it is!" he yelled excited. Everyone turned to look at it as Aang guided Appa towards it.

Lunch was terrible. The food was delicious but soon Zuko and Thayet were in a fight. Somehow they had managed to get into a debate about who was the better fighter. Zuko claimed he had beat her once before, and Thayet stated simply she could beat him, injured arm and all. "I _let _you win," she taunted. She already had another plan formulating in her mind. Zuko lost it then and there. "Then I challenge you to a fight." She smiled at this. "Name the time and the place."

"How is right now?" he had a slight smile on his face. He looked forward to a duel. He didn't intend to hurt her, just scare her. He realized with horror that he was almost happy for this. It had been a long while since anyone his age had challenged him to a (relatively) friendly duel. He shoved this away, making himself believe he just wanted to threaten her.

They walked out to the bare expanse of ship that was Zuko's training area. Instantly, Thayet began to stretch, thinking at the same time. She mentally checked herself. Her arm was much better. It was healing fast thanks to Iroh. She turned around to see him smiling, excited to see the outcome of this scrimmage. He walked up to the two teens and stated, "go to your own sides and wait for my signal before you start the fight. There will be no weapons allowed, however bending is accepted." He looked at Thayet as he said this and winked at her. Zuko missed it. The two walked to their sides and eased into the fight stance awaiting Iroh's command. "GO!"


End file.
